Abstract
Kishana Taylor works in the field of virology. In this mSphere of Influence article, she reflects on the personal impact of "Racial health disparities and COVID-19 - caution and context" by Merlin Chowkwanyun and Adolph L. Reed, Jr. (N Engl J Med 383:201-203, 2020, https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMp2012910) and "A hypothesis is a liability" by Itai Yanai and Martin Lercher (Genome Biol 21:231, 2020, https://doi.org/10.1186/s13059-020-02133-w) and how it became part of the mission for Black In Microbiology Week.